Autism Home Care Services in Bowie, MD

Get In Touch With Our Home Professionals Today

What the Maryland Autism Waiver Covers

The Autism Waiver is a Maryland Medicaid program administered by the Maryland State Department of Education. It helps children with Autism Spectrum Disorder get support at home and in the community instead of in an institution. Depending on your child’s plan, it can fund services such as:

• Intensive individual support to build daily-living and communication skills
• Therapeutic integration that helps your child use those skills in real settings, like a playground or a family outing
• Respite care so you can rest, work, or care for your other children
• Residential habilitation and other ongoing home-based support

Who Is Eligible

Maryland sets the eligibility rules, and they are specific. In general, a child qualifies to apply when they:

• Have a diagnosis or educational classification of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Are between age 1 and the end of the school semester in which they turn 21
• Have an IEP or IFSP that includes at least 15 hours per week of special education and related services
• Meet the financial rules, which look only at the child’s own income and resources, not the parents’ or the household’s

That last point surprises many families in Bowie, and it works in your favor. Your income is not counted. Your child’s is, along with their countable assets, against the program’s limits.

How to Apply, Step by Step

Applications do not go through Trust Home Care or any home care agency. They go through the state:

1. Call the Autism Waiver Registry at 866-417-3480. A screener will ask a few questions about your child.
2. If your child meets the initial criteria, their name is added to the Registry and the Maryland State Department of Education is notified.
3. When a Waiver opening becomes available, the Maryland State Department of Education refers children from the Registry in chronological order. In plain terms, the earlier you get on the Registry, the better, because openings are limited.

Getting on the Registry early is the single most useful thing you can do today, even if you are still gathering paperwork.

Where Trust Home Care Fits In

Once your child is enrolled, you get to choose who comes into your home. That is where we help. Our team provides in-home autism care built around your child, not a template: structure and routines that lower stress, patient skill-building, and support with the ordinary moments that can be hard, like transitions, mealtimes, and getting out the door. Families searching for an autism caregiver near me in Bowie want someone dependable, trained, and steady, and that is the standard we hold our caregivers to.

We also keep things flexible. Some families need a few hours of autism care at home each week. Others need more consistent in-home care for autism across the day. We build the schedule around your family and adjust it as your child grows. If you are comparing your options, our in-home care for autistic children page walks through what day-to-day support looks like, and our full list of Bowie home care services shows everything our team offers.